


love me like you do

by mzyz



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Driving, Falling In Love, Flirting, Fluff, Friendship/Love, M/M, THIS WAS WRITTEN PRE SEASON 5, allura and lotor are cousins, elements of a chatfic, lance loves his family, the heith and shallura is minor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-14
Updated: 2018-01-14
Packaged: 2019-03-04 15:19:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,494
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13367460
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mzyz/pseuds/mzyz
Summary: Lance can only dream of traveling the world and falling in love.Then, Allura's rich cousin visits from London and Lance can't help but be drawn in.Lotor hides behind a facade of wealthiness and an aloof personality.Then, he meets Lance and the mask begins to crumble.





	1. intro

**Author's Note:**

> my first time writing lancelot but i love them so i couldn't help myself  
> i hope you enjoy!

**allura** → **soggy waffles**

 

_Tuesday, 9:08am_

**allura:** listen up skanks

 **hunk:** i thought we were whores yesterday?

 **pidge:** yeah i feel like these mixed terms are confusing to us. r we skanks or whores allura??

 **allura:** let me revise myself

 **allura:** listen up skank whores

 **lance:** did someone say my name?

 **keith:** ofc u’d identify urself as a skank whore

 **lance:** shut up mullet u kno i do a mean strip tease

 **hunk:** as his best friend, i can confirm

 **pidge:** lance does have some beautiful quads…and i’m a lesbian!!

 **lance:** thats me c(;

 **keith:** disgusting

 **shiro:** can we pls stop talking about lance’s quads and hear allura out? 

 **allura:** tHANK yOU SHIRO

 **allura:** my cousin is visiting from london for four days and i’m throwing a party cuz dad and uncle coran are gone for saturday-sunday

 **lance:** whooooo party at the castle!!

 **allura:** lance my house isn't a castle asdfsa

 **keith:** it might as well be

 **hunk:** yeah lura its huge

 **allura:** also my cousin can b a bit…much? if he says something, pls don't take offense. 

 **lance:** says something??

 **allura:** he's a bit…self centered? vain i guess. he’s used to an urban, wealthy upbringing and him and his friends are all really affluent 

 **lance:** wow sounds kinda…like a dick

 **pidge:** yeah 

 **allura:** at least give him a chance. he's an ass but he’s my cousin and i wanna at least give him a good four days here. 

 **shiro:** we’ll try out best allura, thanks for giving us a heads up

 **keith:** i’m gonna stab the inventor of paper bags

 **hunk:** pls no stabbing

 **lance:** yell heah i’ll come w u

 **keith:** no thx i want someone whos good at fighting. pidge u in?

 **pidge:** my small, hacker fists are always ready to throw down >:)

 **lance:** fine i didn’t wanna come anyways

 **allura:** i’ll bring capisuns 

 **shiro:** its too early for this

 **shiro:** wait aren’t u guys in school??

 **lance:** what’s school?

 **keith:** hmm haven’t heard of her?

 **pidge:** school? i don’t think i’ve met her

 **hunk:** what’s a…sc-school?

 **allura:** haha im graduated BITCHEs

 **lance:** tfw shiro calls college “school”

 **shiro:** if you guys dont focus in class i’ll hunt you

 **pidge:** ABORT ABORT ABORT


	2. day 1 of lotor's visit

Lance’s stomach was pressed against a satin pillow that laid on Allura’s bed. He watched her, eye tracking her flit from her closet to her vanity. 

“Why are you so nervous?” Lance asked he raised an eyebrow.

“Huh?” Allura replied, her mind clearly somewhere else. A quiet pink flushed on her cheekbones and she fussed with her earring. “I just want to give a good impression to my uncle. He’s a bit…much…as well. Not in the way that Lotor is, Lotor is only vain. My Uncle Zarkon is, well, he’s disapproving. He doesn’t agree with the way my dad raised me and he’s rather controlling. I just…want to impress him. As much as I dislike him, he's my father’s brother and…”

“I get it,” Lance assured, good naturedly. “Wow ‘Lura. I didn’t think your family was so complicated. It almost seems like a diplomacy.”

“It _feels_ like a diplomacy,” Allura sighed, still fiddling with the diamond earring that glints past her hair and casts it sparkly shadow that dances against the wall. 

 _I wonder what this ‘Lotor’ is like_ , thought Lance as he watched Allura. 

“Allura! Time to go!” Alfor’s voice called up the stairs and Allura’s eye widen. 

“Are the diamond earrings too much?” she asked, finally wanting the opinion Lance was dying to give. 

“They’re nice but I think the sapphire ones you wore to your graduation would be cuter. More sophisticated too, like you really know how to piece together an outfit.”

Allura stared at her floor-length mirror, eyebrows furrowed and lips pursed, almost like she was calculating in her mind. Then, her grin that Lance loved spread through her rosy lips. 

“This is why you’re my go-to fashion advisor,” Allura said and grabbed the sapphire earrings off her vanity. She motioned for Lance to get up. “We’ll give you a ride back to your house, c’mon.” 

They walked down the stairs as Allura tried to stick her earrings on. Alfor smiled when he saw Lance. 

“Hello, Lance. I didn’t even hear you come in.”

“Father,” Allura said, rolling her eyes but she still grinned. “We had lunch together, remember?” 

Alfor laughed, it was low and rumbly. “So you did. The old mind’s not what it used to be. Are we driving you home?”

Lance nodded. “Yessir.”

The three of them piled into Alfor’s car and Lance climbed into the backseat. As they barreled down the road, Lance followed the houses that go from big to medium to small and wondered what this London cousin of Allura’s will think. _London_ , he thought, wistfully, _I’d love to see it sometime. Not that I’m ever getting out of this town_. _Shiro…Pidge…Allura…they’re all getting out of here. Not me, though_. 

Lance had then taken to staring at the clouds that moved slowly, idly, compared to the Jeep that was going 50 down the dusty roads. Allura was saying something to her father but it was all in one ear and out the other to Lance. He loved driving down their town’s roads and getting lost in his own mind.

The only time he broke out of his thoughts was when the car slowed down and pulled him out of the imagination of what London was like. 

“See you later Lance!” Allura called. “Me and Lotor are meeting you guys at the Italian restaurant at 7, right?”

“Yeah,” Lance said, smiling as widely as he could. “Thanks for the ride, sir!”

“Of course. Have a good day, Lance!”

Lance hopped out of the car, dust and rocks clouded his shoes from the impact of his feet onto the driveway that no one bothered to sweep. He watched the Jeep back out and drive away. 

“LANCE!” A young boy with wild brown curls jumped onto Lance’s back, his stubbly nails attached to the back of Lance’s shirt. 

“Ah!” Lance shouted, stumbling forward. “Garrett…what are you _doing_ , bud?” 

The boy’s mouth turned into a serious line and his green eyes bore holes into Lance’s blue ones, as the older boy craned his neck to look at the little brother hanging onto his back. 

“The evil Emperor is about to attack the mighty robot lions! We gotta save them before it’s too late!” 

Lance’s eyes widened. “Why didn’t you say so?! Let’s go!” he grabbed hold of Garrett's stomach and held him under his arms like a football. Lance laughed along with the giggling mess of a baby brother in his arms as they jumped up the dirty steps to their house and ran in. 

Once they got inside, the familiar scent of ginger and tamales floated under Lance’s nose. He traced the scent back to the kitchen. He carefully placed Garrett onto the floor, his touch squishing up under the hardwood. Lance narrowed his eyes when he looked more closely at his 7 year old brother and saw three more band-aids, adorning his knees, elbows and toes. 

“Ay dios mio,” Lance murmured, as he tucked one of Garrett’s untamable curls behind the boy’s ear. “Be more careful, okay?”

Garrett nodded, eyes shining as he looked back up at Lance. Lance chuckled, rubbing his hand over the top of Garrett’s head. “Go upstairs, okay bud? I’ll be right there. Think you can hold off the evil Emperor until then?”

Garrett’s ear perked up at the idea of proving himself responsible to his older brother. “Roger!”

Lance laughed and watched as the little boy thundered up the stairs, small feet pounding against the carpeting, which did little to muffle the sound. 

He turned towards the kitchen and kicked off his sneakers. His hand traveled against the smooth, wood on the kitchen door. His fingers traced over the carved out, crude designs that he had made with a butter knife at 5. Lance’s mother and father had given him hell for it but he knew, secretly, they found it endearing. They never even thought about replacing the ruined door. 

He pushed the door open and the faint scent of tamales cooking grew even stronger. He saw his mother, sitting on a stool by the stove. 

“Mamá,” Lance called out, in a hushed voice. His mother looked up. Her eyes were tired and her skin pale but she smiled when her eldest waltzed into the room and straight into her arms. Even though Lance only saw her this morning, he was undeniably a “Mama’s Boy.” He loved hugging her, he loved her butterfly kisses that fluttered against his cheek. Those feeling of utter affection for his mother were only enhanced when they found out about her illness. 

“I’m gonna play with Garrett, okay? Have you napped?” When they found out of their mother’s leukemia, Lance’s father had taken on an extra job to pay the medical bills that came in droves. Ever since then, Lance had taken it upon himself to support his family as much as he could. It was him who drove Camila and Garrett to school and helped his mother with housework in between college courses. 

“I’ve rested a bit, yes, mijo.” Lance smiled, sadly. He felt his mother’s familiar butterfly kiss against his cheek, the wings of an old monarch fluttered against his skin. “Go play with Garrett. He’s probably waiting for you.” 

Lance gave his mother’s shoulder one last squeeze before he bounded off towards his little brother's room. 

 

“What about this?” Lance asked, stepping out of his closet to face the judgmental eyes of his 12 year old sister. Her blue eyes (like Lance’s) trace up and down at the bagging green sweatshirt, pale purple cap that said “OOTD” in white stitching and blue jeans 

“Hmmmm…you kind of look like a fuckboy,” she said, chin resting on her hands and elbows pressed into one of Lance’s white pillows. 

Lance gasped, “Where did you learn that word?! Don’t let me hear you say that again!”

Camila rolled her eyes and Lance frowned at the teenager that he saw in front of him, instead of the gap-toothed, pigtailed little girl that he’s always known. 

“You say it all the time! I heard you say it to Keith when you were talking about your Geology professor! You said he was 'so fucking anno—'”

“No!” Lance cut her off before the rest of her poor imitation of his voice could escape her lips. “No, stop. Don’t let Mamá hear you say that! And I only said it because that man is a _fossil_ and he’s so boring. Don’t repeat that, Camila.”

She rolled her eyes once again and flipped over so her back is against Lance’s baby blue comforter and she was staring at him upside down. “Why do you care so much about how you look, anyway? It’s just dinner with your friends.”

“Yeah but…Allura’s cousin is coming. And he’s all wealthy and from London. Dress to impress, right?” 

“Who says you need to impress? _He’s_ the one that’s visiting, just show him _your_ style.” Camila looked at her brother both pointedly and smugly. Lance stared at her for a bit before he whipped off the baseball cap and ruffled up her hair. 

“HEY!” She shouted, swatting at his hand. 

“When did you become so smart?” Lance smirked. 

 

Lance had asked if he could hitch a ride with Keith and Hunk. The two lived together in the dorms on campus. He had finally decided on a pair of blue jeans, a pale gray t-shirt and his puffy, dark green coat. 

Lance rubbed his hands together, quickly, hoping to generate some sort of warmth as he waited for Keith’s shitty red Honda to pull up. He was glad he decided on the puffy green coat when he could see his breath in puffs of smoky-like condensation as he breathed in and out. _It's cold for November,_ Lance thought, absentmindedly. 

His mind drifts back to Allura’s cousin…or rather, the mystery shrouding Allura’s cousin. He wondered what he looked like, Allura said he was vain. What he sounded like ( _Does he have a posh, British accent?_ ). He wondered if—

A loud horn blared out, making Lance jump and startled him out of the endless questions that ran through his mind like a computer program. He saw Keith at the wheel and Hunk, looking horrified (and probably chastising Keith for using the horn. Keith had a habit of honking at people, animals and other cars even when it wasn’t needed). 

Grateful more than irritated, Lance opened the back door and slid in. The warm air that blasted from Keith’s car rushed into his seemingly frozen hands and Lance breathed a sigh of relief. 

“Hey Lance,” Hunk offered him a happy smile. Lance and Hunk had been best friends ever since childhood and things were rocky for a while in high school but, ultimately, Lance never has had a better friend than Hunk. He smiled, the affection shone from his eyes.

“You guys ready to meet this infamous Lotor?” Lance asked. 

“Not really. I don’t see why we have to go," Keith grumbled. 

“Be nice, babe,” Hunk frowned. “We wanna meet Allura’s cousin right? It’s the nice thing to do.” 

Keith huffed, “I never do the nice thing.”

Hunk laughed and pressed a kiss to the driver’s cheek. Lance’s chest pinched a little when he saw that. His feelings for Hunk never truly went away. He didn’t think they ever would vanish entirely but, seeing Hunk so happy? It made Lance happy too. It always would. Even if seeing Hunk with Keith might always send a chip of Lance’s heart into his stomach and exploded like a mini grenade, he could never find it in his heart to destroy or attack the love that Hunk omitted whenever he was near Keith. 

The drive was quick, only five minutes from Lance’s house to the restaurant. It was enough time for Lance to zone out and escape the sounds of Keith’s bemoaning and complaining and Hunk’s mindless chatter and laughter. The night was clear and crisp but Lance smiled as the stars peaked from the tips of the trees that they whizzed by. He hoped the weather would stay nice for a while. He rather liked rain, though, so he wasn’t exactly sure what he wanted. 

“This is bullshit!” Keith raged as a Toyota pulled into the parking spot he had been eyeing up the street. 

“Calm down!” Hunk told him, wide eyed. 

“I was clearly going for that spot!”

"Can you just…stop shouting?! We can find another spot!”

“But that one was so close to the restaurant!”

Lance chuckled from the backseat, pulling out his phone to text Allura that they were almost there. 

Hearing Hunk and Keith talk was like listening to an old married couple bicker over the last piece of pie. From the way they talked, it would seem like they’ve been dating for six years rather than six months. But Lance knew. Lance supposed he’d always known. That he had known from the second he saw Hunk’s face when his eyes first laid on Keith, way back in in sophomore year. Hunk and Keith were happy together, they were in love. _God_ , Lance thought as his shaking fingers pressed the keypad, _what I would do for that._

Eventually, Keith found a space a minutes walk from the Italian place and Lance braced himself before stepping out of the car. The frigid air assaulted him and instantly nipped at his nose. _Great_ , he thought as he hurled down the street, hugging himself for warmth, _now my face will be all red when we get there_. 

Keith was huddled beneath Hunk’s protective arm as the three of them shuffled down the street and into the restaurant. 

It was loud, the noise erupted from the inside when Hunk opened the door. Startling but familiar. Lance had grown up on Antonio’s food and the friendly, nostalgic scent of dough and marinara sauce was enough to send him drooling.  

His eyes scanned the tables and booths until he saw Allura, waving. Shiro was sitting next to her, on her right, and a person whom Lance could only assume was Lotor, was on her left. 

Uneasily, he walked towards the table. It wasn’t their usual 6 person booth (Shiro, Allura and Pidge on one side and Lance, Hunk and Keith on the other) but a round table near the center of the restaurant.

It was then, as he approached the table, Lance got his first good look at Lotor. He was slim, his face pointed and well-drawn. His skin was gorgeous, perfectly tan and he had long, silvery-white hair that was pulled into a neat ponytail and hung loosely behind him. He was wearing a fitted black suit that only extenuated the neat curves of his built figure and Lance felt like he was falling in on the weight of his own knees. 

“Lotor, this is Keith, Hunk and Lance,” Allura introduced when words seemed to fail Lance. Any speech he had forming, crumbled at the tip of his tongue as he continued to stare, unblinkingly at the foreign figure. 

Lotor blinked at the three of them, slowly, and his gaze was even more calculating than Allura’s. Finally, a smile spread through his curved lips. 

“A pleasure,” he replied. His accent curled at his words and made him seem even more formal. 

“Nice to meet you,” Hunk said, cheerfully. He extended his hand out to Lotor and Lotor seemed taken aback. He looked down at Hunk’s hand before taking it in his own and shaking it. There was something almost…demeaning about the gesture that sent an odd feeling down Lance’s stomach. He ignored it. 

Keith grunted his own form of hello, still cautious around a stranger (as he always was) and it was Lance’s turn for a greeting. 

His words still seemed to fall off his lips into an endless abyss but somehow he managed a, “hi, I’m Lance.”

Lotor's eyes caught his and there was something almost electric that sent chills down Lance’s spine. His gaze was magnifying. In a good or bad way, Lance couldn't say.

“Wonderful to meet you.” 

Lance felt dizzy as he slid into the seat next to Hunk. 

“Where’s Pidge?” Hunk asked, looking around when he noticed the absence of their friend. 

“Oh, she's in the bathroom,” Shiro said. “We can order when she comes out.”

 

The conversation is idle for the most part, meaningless conversations about work, courses and questions about London (directed at Lotor, of course. Lance asked a few. He found out the London subway system is called “the Tube” and that the queen is more or less powerless in the actual British government). 

Lance couldn’t help but feel Lotor was detached from the conversation. Like his mind was too big or he was too great to be apart of it. _Maybe that's why Allura said he was vain_ , Lance had thought. He couldn’t help but give the strange, gorgeous man the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he just didn’t know how to socialize with people outside his own ring of “affluent” friends. 

It wasn’t until three-fourths of the way through dinner when something did happen. 

It had been Hunk who asked Lotor, “so how are you liking Massachusetts so far?”

“Ah well, it’s a bit…common, nothing like the cities I’ve been to but it’s got it’s own quaint charm.”

Everyone was quiet for a bit and Allura chuckled, awkwardly and nervously. 

Out of the corner of Lance’s eye, he saw Keith’s face twist in anger and he had begun to rise out of his seat when Hunk’s hand came down on his thigh, rubbing it soothingly. It was almost like a silent lullaby, a beg for Keith to sit down and not cause the scene. Keith does, much to the relief of everyone at the table. 

“I guess…” Shiro broke the uncomfortable silence, “it is very different from London and New York. But we like it here, it’s a home to everyone.” Allura sent Shiro a grateful look once Lotor’s attention was elsewhere. Shiro smiled back down at her and, once again, Lance finds himself _yearning_ for love like his friends have. 

“What do you do for a living, Shiro?” Lotor asked, pleasantly. Or what seems like pleasantness, it had been hard for everyone at the table to tell at that moment. 

“Oh, I’m a middle school teacher, I teach science.”

“A teacher?” Lotor repeated, “sounds very respectable in its own right. Maybe not practical but I assume you enjoy it.” 

Shiro chuckles and Allura’s face is red. Lance can tell she’s flushed from either embarrassment (on Lotor’s behalf because the man, himself, seems to have no shame in his perfectly crafted words that roll quickly off his silver tongue) or annoyance. Even through the dim lighting, Lance can see her pink cheeks. 

“Practical?”

“Can a teaching job sustain a living? I assume you and Allura plan to settle down together. I was just wondering, I apologize for stepping out of line.” Lance wanted to scoff. _For someone who “apologizes,” he sure doesn’t sound apologetic_ , Lance thought, hotly. 

He can see Keith’s puffed up cheeks and he’d known it’s taken all of his strength _and_ Hunk’s to restrain him from saying anything.  

Shiro’s eye widened, just slightly but Lance picked it up. He turns his head towards Allura, the shock was unable to be wiped off his face. 

“Uh…we still have a lot of time to think of long-term plans, right ‘Lura?” This time it’s Allura’s turn save Shiro. 

“Yes, that’s true. We have a lot of time before thinking of final plans.” 

“Ah well,” when Lotor opened his mouth, Lance winced. He hated uncomfortable situations more than anything else. “Whatever you think will be best.”

 

Dessert came and went but the rest of the dinner seemed to whiz by, a surreal blur that passed Lance. He poked at the chocolate cake that he split with Pidge. 

Once they had all paid, Lance internally groaned at the thought of heading back into the harsh winter air. He wondered, vaguely, if it was going to start snowing soon. They all stood up and Lance watched as Lotor pulled on a thick, sleek black coat. Lance muttered a ‘goodbye’ and ‘thank you’ to Antonio and braced himself for the wind that would greet him when they left. 

“It was very nice meeting you all,” Lotor said. 

“Could’ve been nicer,” Keith gritted under his breath, Lance pretended he didn’t hear but, secretly, agreed. Allura gave a tired smile to Hunk, Lance and Keith before giving each other them a strong hug. 

When she got to Lance, she whispered, “see what I mean? He’s...a lot. Thanks for putting up with him.”

Lance smiled and squeezed her waist in a quick, sloppy hug. She broke away and Shiro, Lotor and Pidge turned left, to where Allura’s car was parked. 

“Shall we go?” Hunk asked after they watch the four of them leave, in silence. 

“Yeah,” Keith’s voice was dark and stormy. Lance knew why.

 

 **allura** → **soggy waffles**

 

_Friday, 11:21pm_

**allura:** was he that bad?

 **keith:** yes

 **hunk:** KEITH!

 **lance:** well u did warn us

 **pidge:** he was a dick, no question about it but i dont think he rly knew he was a dick?

 **allura:** yeah…

 **allura:** i’m srry about all the things he said to u shiro

 **shiro:** its ok hon, i’m sure he had our best interests in mind

 **keith:** but that doesn’t excuse how much of an ASS he was to u shiro

 **shiro:** rly its fine. yes, he's a bit of an ass but idrk if he knows better???

 **keith:** still a dick

 **lance:** w/e

 **allura:** u guys r still coming to the party tmrw…right?

 **keith:** …

 **allura:** pls guys

 **lance:** mullet is just being a shithead ofc we’re coming

 **hunk:** yeah we said we were going

 **hunk:** dw keith is coming too

 **keith:** u can’t decide things for me 

 **hunk:** we’ll b there :)

 **shiro:** i’m coming

 **pidge:** i am too

 **allura:** thank god ily guys

 **allura:** gtg but I'm sorry lotor gave u guys sm shit tonight

 

After an hour of tossing and turning in sheets that went from too hot to too cold in a matter of milliseconds, Lance swung his legs off the side of his bed and sat up, he decided he couldn’t take it. There was something clouding his mind, thick fog that tainted his thoughts and kept him from falling asleep. 

Lance glanced over at the alarm clock on his dusty nightstand and blinked, in annoyance, at the 2:43am that looked back at him. Sighing. he got up. When his warm toes touched the cold wood floor, they scrunched up, instinctively. 

Tiptoeing down creaky stairs was a feat in itself and it became even harder when there are 3 other sleeping people that Lance didn’t want to disturb. 

When he made it to the kitchen, safe (minus the one close call where he nearly tripped over the ball that Garrett had left, haphazardly lying in the stairway), he breathed a quick sigh of relief. 

The kitchen was buzzing, almost. A strange sense of serenity that filled the silent room. Moonlight, streaks of silver, streamed in through the crack in the curtains that blew against the window. Lance had felt, almost, like he was an intruder in this peaceful, undisturbed scene. 

The sound of the tap water running into his hollow glass cup was comforting. When he turned the sink off, he leaned his bare back into the cool tiled counter and drank. He was staring blankly at the clock when he heard the jingling of keys in the back door. 

His father walked in, a hand pressed against his back and hair disheveled. 

“Papá,” Lance whispered and his father’s head turned towards him. A tired smile crossed his dad’s lips. 

“What are you doing up?” he asked, crossing over to hug his son. Lance hugged back and smushed his nose into the collar of his father’s jean jacket. It smelled like the cheap cologne he loved and pine trees. 

His father worked like a dog as his mother recovered from the intense chemotherapy that wracked her body for months. His normal accounting job from 9-5, then driving taxis until 3 in the morning. It was rough and all Lance could do was pray his mother recovered quickly and safety so his father could stop straining his body to the limits to provide. 

“How was work?” Lance asked as his father poured himself his own glass of water. Lance knew that if he wasn't there, it would’ve been a beer in his father’s calloused palms instead of water. 

“Ah, you know. Same old. I drove some drunk teenagers today and an old woman with neon yellow hair.” Lance laughed, a hand pressed to his mouth to stifle the giggles that erupted from him. He loved his father’s stories about the passengers that he ushered every night. 

Then, the laughter had turned into a yawn and Lance’s arms began to stretch out behind him. 

“Go to sleep, Lance,” his father told him. Lance nodded, he gave his dad a quick squeeze, before he turned and left the warm kitchen.

Lance fell asleep the second his head hit the pillow. 


	3. day 2 of lotor's visit

Instead of Hunk and Keith, Lance managed to snag a ride from Shiro to Allura’s party. 

After staring at his closet for an hour and, much to the annoyance of, Camila’s help Lance was able to put together a party outfit he was proud of (if he did say so himself). He was wearing light blue skinny jeans that clung to his legs and were cut off, right before the ankle, a red and white t-shirt that he’d tucked into the tight waist of the jeans. On his feet were his favorite pair (and only) pair of sneakers, Adidas, and his puffy green jacket was pulled around his shoulders. 

Unlike Keith, Shiro pulled up at his driveway at exactly 8:45. Lance smiled, happy he didn’t have to stand in the driveway, shivering and rubbing his hands together. He ran up to the black SUV and clamored into the passenger's seat. Punctuality was a staple in Shiro’s personality. 

“Hey Shiro,” he beamed. He felt Shiro muss up his hair, in an older-brother type affection. Lance never had an older brother and, although Keith was Shiro’s _real_ adopted brother, having Shiro around almost felt like he did. 

“Excited for the party, kid?” Shiro asked as he backed out of Lance’s driveway and headed towards Allura’s house. Lance was sure Shiro knew the route, it must’ve been implanted into his head, a muscle memory. He longed for someone to know the dusty roads to his house by heart, but he pushed those yearning to the back of his mind. 

“I mean, how could someone _not_ be excited for one of Allura’s parties…asshole cousin or not?” 

“Exactly. She knows how to throw a mean party,” the affection that dripped out of Shiro’s voice was impossible to miss. 

“How are Garrett and Camila?” Shiro asked after a few seconds of comfortable silence. The ride is smooth, Shiro was the best driver that Lance knew. 

“Good. They ask about you a lot. All of you. I’ve been telling them that we're all so busy with college…and you and Allura with work. Sometimes I miss the good old days.”

Shiro laughed at that. “You miss high school?”

Lance frowned, realizing what he said, “well…I certainly don’t miss the teachers or the homework or the tests or the papers but I guess I miss being with you guys all the time. When me and Keith were in the same class and you would pick us all up after your grad-school courses…and we’d pick up Pidge from middle school and all go out for pizza. I guess I just miss that.”

“You’re a real dreamer, Lance,” Shiro told him, after stewing in the nostalgic words that slipped Lance’s lips. 

“Oh,” Lance frowned. _What does that mean?_

 _“_ It’s not a bad thing, y’know,” Shiro replied, upon seeing Lance’s confused look.

“You love Allura, right, Shiro?” Lance wished, so wildly, that someone would smile about him the way Shiro smiled about Allura in that moment. 

“Yeah," he said, “I do. She’s so capable but I want to be a good boyfriend, be there for her.”

The rest of the ride is mindless chatter about work, school and the topic of Keith (and Hunk) came up a few time. Shiro had always been an expressive talker, the way his tone drops when talking about his girlfriend or his little brother. Lance loved talking to Shiro, he had such a good grasp of the world (and he found himself thinking that he truly didn’t deserve the snide comments that Lotor had spouted the previous night).

“We’re here,” Shiro said, parking the car in the same spot he always did outside of Allura’s house (mansion). 

Walking up, Lance could hear the music from the pathway. Allura was greeting people at the door when they walked in. Lance smiled, he hugged her and took in the nearly surreal surroundings. Shiro pecked her lips and squeezed her waist, tightly. 

“Pizza and drinks are in the kitchen,” Allura is forced to shout in competition with the ear-blasting music that seems to come from all sides of the house. “Drinks are in the recreation room, as well! Hunk and Keith just came a few minutes ago and Pidge is in the game room!”

There are people floating around, laughing drunkenly ( _Already?_  Lance thinks, _it’s been less than an hour_ ). People Lance hadn't seen since high school, people that Lance recognized from when Allura worked at Lush. 

Lanterns and fairy lights strung on the walls, down the stair banister and flashed a fluorescent rainbow throughout the house. Lance stared in awe, though he really shouldn’t have been because Allura was notorious for throwing the best parties. 

“Have fun,” Shiro said, patting his arm before slipping his hand around Allura’s waist and whispering sweet nothings into her ear. Lance smiled, halfheartedly, before walking up the stairs to look for his friends. 

When he walks into the rec room, he sees a mass of vaguely familiar faces and loud chatter that whirls in his ear. He spotted Pidge, talking to a classmate (Lance was proud that she’d managed to make so many friends despite being in high school when all her close friends had graduated already). He turned over to see Keith, practically sitting on top of Hunk. Hunk was kissing Keith’s ear and said something that made Keith snort, supposedly with laughter. Lance’s smile was pained, there was no question about it, and he turned to leave, not wanting to interrupt the sweet moment that they two were locked in. 

His gaze darted from the wall to the floor to the stairway behind him as he wandered further down the second floor. His eyesight was directed at the wooden floor and the spiraling patterns of it when he felt himself bump into a chest. He fell to the ground in one swift tumble and, when he opened his eyes and realized what had happened, he quickly looked up to see Lotor staring back down at him. 

There was a stunned silence on both of their parts before a lean hand extended downwards, in front of Lance. _A sign of peace_ , Lance thought, before taking the hand. Lotor’s hand was warm and firm and his grip wrapped around Lance and pulled him to his feet. Lance was sure his cheeks must have been _burning_ when he finally was able to stare into Lotor’s dark, icy blue eyes.

“S-sorry!” Lance was able to let out, rubbing the back of his neck, sheepishly. 

“I wasn’t looking where I was going, no apologies necessary,” Lotor’s voice was kinder than Lance had remembered it from last night. His features that had seemed rigid and sharp now had a warmer glow to him. Maybe it was the multicolored lights that assaulted Lance’s vision at every turn. “You're Lance, if I can remember correctly…?”

“Yeah…Lance McClain” Lance said, shocked that he had bothered to remember his name. “I know you’re Lotor but I, uh, never caught your last name.”

“Ah,” Lotor replied, a smile spread against his lips. It wasn’t condescending but Lance couldn’t tell if it was sincere or not. He didn’t want to trust Lotor right away, especially after the harsh words he directed at Shiro. “No worries, I don’t believe I even mentioned my full name last night. Lotor Prince.”

“Prince? Like royalty?” Lance blurted out, without thinking. The name amused him in a way he couldn't explain. Maybe it was Lotor’s fancy clothes (He had on a tight dark blue blazer that fit his body well, as his outfit last night did, and a pair of black jeans that showed off his legs) or his proper British accent, Lance didn’t quite know. 

Lotor chuckled, it was the first genuinely amused sound Lance had heard him make. His eyes seemed to gleam at Lance’s words, almost like admiration spit out with every syllable Lance uttered. 

“I suppose you’re right. British royalty, unfortunately, do not have last names with their titles.”

Lance’s eyes widened at that, then his voice dropped to a disbelieving whisper, “Do you _know_ the British royalty?” 

Once again, Lotor laughed. Lance decided that he liked Lotor’s laugh ( _Be wary of him_ , Lance reminded himself before he straightened out his back so not to give the man the wrong idea about his thoughts towards him). 

“Not personally. I was able to meet Prince William through a trip with my University, though. My family is not nearly important enough to go galavanting with the Queen. It is a wonderful fantasy, though.”

A grin spread across Lance’s cheeks. 

“I believe we got off on the wrong foot last night, what with the quick comments I made.”

“Yeah,” Lance agreed, “you were kind of an asshole.”

“It was rather asshole-ish of me. I apologize.” 

 _At least he realized what he did wrong_ , Lance had thought _, then again, Allura might have confronted him about it._

“Shiro’s a good guy, though,” Lance was proud of himself for sticking up for his friend, “he only wants the best for your cousin.”

“Ah, and I only want the best for her. It did seem as though I had ill-intentions but I have none of the sort. I’m not very acquainted with…”

“Our lifestyle?” Lance suggested, he realized that Lotor didn’t want to say it and take two steps backward after having just apologized. Lotor didn’t show it, but Lance knew he was breathing a sigh of relief. 

“Yes, you’re right.” 

“You got his brother really mad, though,” Lance started to giggle to himself, remembering Keith’s red face and angry grunts, the whole way home. 

“His brother is…Keith?” 

“Yeah, Keith Kogane. Small, angry and looks like he’s just come back from stabbing a person?”

“Oh, yes, I remember him vividly now.” It then occurred to Lance that they were still standing in the hallway. Lotor’s hands were stuffed in his jean pockets and Lance’s in his coat. 

“Do you…maybe wanna go downstairs? You probably don’t know many people here so I can hang out with you. All my friends are busy doing,” Lance then proceeded to make smoochy faces and mimic kissing sounds. Lotor chuckled at that.

“That's kind of you.” 

“Yeah, I’m such a kind person, you should feel blessed to hang out with someone as kind and forgiving as me,” Lance found his words to roll off easily when talking with Lotor, something he didn’t expect but wasn’t quite as dissatisfied with it as he thought he would’ve been. 

“Very modest, as well,” Lotor commented, easily, as the two begin to make their way down the stairs. 

Lance noted how Lotor’s ponytail sways behind him as he walks down the steps. He doesn’t have any use for that information but Lance liked noticing small things about people, it made them more real. 

They snagged a spot on the couch where two drunk girls had just gotten up, presumably to make out or throw up but Lance couldn’t be bothered to entertain either possibilities in his mind. 

“What’s it like to live in London?” Lance asked, polishing up a cup of punch (he was sure Keith had been the one who spiked it, it tasted like something straight out of their high school lives). 

“Hmmm,” Lotor seemed to think for a second, his left leg is crossed over his right one and he rested his elbow on the couch’s arm, hand pressed to his cheek. “Noisy. Busy. I wholeheartedly believe that if you don’t move fast enough in the Tube Station, you _will_ get trampled over in a matter of seconds. You get backed into by tourists a lot, them trying to take a picture of whatever street sign that peaks their interest for some unbeknown reason. It’s quite irritating.” 

Lance listened to him with full interest, living in a big, bustling city like that was all Lance could ever want. Even with crowded train stations and ignorant tourists. But he knew he could never, he’d support his family until his last dying breath if he had to. _Even if it means I’m trapped here forever_ , Lance thought. 

“It sounds cool to live there, though,” Lance said, his voice sounded dreamier than he intended it to. He sounded lovestruck. Well, he supposed he was. He was lovestruck for the idea of adventure, enamored with the possibilities of love and big cities. 

“What year are you in?” Lotor asked and it took Lance a few seconds to realize what he meant. 

“Oh, I’m a college sophomore. I’m majoring in literature, you?” 

“Business,” Lotor replied, he didn’t seem all that happy. It seemed the word ‘business’ was foul tasting and he spat it out, cooly. “I’m hoping to take over my father’s company someday and, as the current heir, he expected me to go into such a major.”

“Why, do you not like it?” Lance inquired, leaning closer. Lotor looked shocked, almost, that Lance could see through him. 

“It’s not my first choice, but it is the safest,” he admitted and Lance found himself pleased and stunned at this new side of Lotor. Out of all the things he could’ve thought were going to happen tonight, seeing Lotor in a new, far less stuck up light was not one. 

Through the course of the night, Lance had found out that Lotor's father ran a technology company called ‘The Empire.’ That Lotor had a cat named Kova, his late mother’s cat. That Lotor preferred sunsets to sunrises and that he found the works of Shakespeare to be cliche and played out (Lance vehemently disagreed, spawning a passionate argument between the two). 

Lance found himself comfortable enough to tell Lotor about Garrett and Camila, how Camila seemed to be 12 going on 21. How he loved beaches and 7/11s (Lotor had admitted to never having been to one and then a melodramatic gasp exploded from Lance). 

By the end of the night, Lance could see that Lotor was an asshole. An asshole who shushed people during movies and hated annoying tourists but he was _real_. He was a real person, not a well-dressed and spiteful robot that he seemed to have been at last night’s dinner. That he could be wickedly funny, in his own twisted way and had Lance doubling over in giggles twice that night. 

 _Wow_ , Lance realized as he glanced at the clock, _we’ve been talking for almost 2 hours…I haven’t even said hi to Hunk, Keith or Pidge._  

It was then Lotor raised his wrist up and peered at his watch. “It's almost 11.”

“Wanna play a game?” Lance asked, a mischievous glint in his eyes. Lotor smirked. 

“Why do I feel scared at the prospect of your ‘game?’”

“During the last 30 minutes of a party, I like to count the number of drunk people or passed out people.”

“You’re a sadist,” Lotor told him, but he smiled down at Lance. 

“You’re a hypocrite,” Lance retorted. 

“Touché.”

“I had fun, y’know,” Lance said. He suddenly felt his heart, thrumming wildly, crashing into his rib cage. Lotor smiled and that did nothing to pacify is racing heartbeat. “I’m g-guessing you haven’t been around town yet?”

“No, not really,” Lotor played along even though Lance could tell he knew what he was suggesting. 

“I could show you around tomorrow...if you’d like. We could hit up all the real places to go to, none of the touristy bullshit, Just me, you and super greasy pizza…?”

“Well,” time seemed to stop, the way Lotor gazed at Lance was enough for the world to stop spinning, “if you’re free, I’d be delighted to have you show me around. Would you like my number so we can schedule our day?” 

Lance smirked, slyly, “Lotor, if you wanted my number, you could’ve just asked.”

“Oh no, you’ve seen right through me. Am I really that desperate to you, Lance?” Lotor teased back. It was entirely new to Lance, this type of interaction. Lotor seemed to be earths away from him, he was on a totally different social scale but at the same time, it felt like Lance had known him forever. 

They exchanged phones and Lance typed in his number, leaving a little “;)” at the end. Lotor handed Lance his phone back and when he saw what Lance wrote, he chuckled. Lance swore he saw the slightest bit of red dust Lotor’s cheeks. Lotor would’ve vehemently denied it if Lance brought it up. 

 

Lance had been scrolling through Instagram, eating a cold slice of pizza he had snagged from Allura’s house, right before he and Lotor had said their goodbyes when his phone vibrated in his palm.

 

 **lotor** → **me**

 

_Sunday, 12:18am_

**lotor:** can i pick you up a bit early tomorrow?

 **lance:** sure, why?

 **lotor:** i don’t have a car with me and i was planning on stealing allura’s. she and shiro seem to be intoxicated and, if all goes to plan, she'll be hungover and i can take her jeep. 

 **lance:** you sly lil bitch you

 **lance:** i like the way you think

 **lotor:** much obliged 

 **lotor:** 6:30 ish?

 **lance:** sounds good :)

 **lance:** see u then

 

Lance smiled as he threw away the greasy napkin that held his, now, nonexistent pizza and began to walk upstairs. He couldn't control it, he was smiling and couldn’t stop it even if he wanted to. 

As he brushed his teeth in the darkness (he didn’t want to turn on his lights and wake up his parents. Sunday was his father’s only day off and he’d hate to take even a minutes sleep away from him). 

His phone buzzed again and he eagerly whipped it out of his pajama pants pocket to find it was from Hunk, rather than Lotor. 

 

 **hunk** → **me**

 

_Sunday, 12:24am_

**hunk:** hey man me and keith were gonna go to a movie tmrw, wanna come w?

 **lance:** nah i can’t

 **hunk:** lemme guess…too hungover?

 **lance:** nope i barely touched anything tonight

 **hunk:** :D good for u everyone was so drunk tonight it was crazy

 **lance:** lmao

 **hunk:** so wyd?

 **lance:** um i'm showing lotor around all day

 **hunk:** lotor? why?

 **lance:** he’s actually not that much of an asshole as we thought. he’s charming…

 **lance:** in his own, stupidly rich way. i gave him a second chance and now i think we're friends????

 **hunk:** idk lance

 **hunk:** just b careful 

 **lance:** i will hunk dw

 **hunk:** if ur sure

 **hunk:** gn lance <3

 **lance:** gn hunk <3


	4. day 3 of lotor's visit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> i!love!these!boys!

It was a frosty morning and Lance was not particularly fond of the idea that he was supposed to roll out of bed and look immaculate to impress the most handsome boy he’s ever laid his eyes on at 5:50 in the morning, but he did it anyway. _Good thing coffee is an invention_ , Lance thought as he brewed himself a mug before he stepped into the shower. 

The house was still and Lance could faintly hear the sounds of Garrett’s feet, pattering through his room at around 6:15. Lance made a mental note to kiss his goodbye before he left. 

He stared at his reflection in the mirror, unsure if his outfit was nice enough. He was wearing a blue beanie that hid his damp, messy curls, the same jeans he wore to dinner two nights ago ( _but,_ god _, it seemed like an eternity ago_ ) and a white shirt that read “LAZY” on it, in blue block letters. 

After he decided that what he had on would have to do, he ran up the stairs as quietly as he could and into Garrett’s room. 

“I’m leaving now, Garrett. If Mamá asks, can you tell her I’m with friends?” Garrett was rolling his Hot Wheels around his room, amusing himself as he sped the toy cars into his bedpost. He turned around just long enough so Lance could smack a wet kiss onto his cheek and turn to leave. 

“Bye Lance!” Garrett called after him. 

 

As it turned out, Lotor was similar to Shiro in the aspect of being on time. At 6:30, exactly, Allura’s white jeep was rolling, lazily, up to Lance’s driveway. 

Lance smiled when he saw him, probably like an idiot but he didn’t care. This time, his long hair was loose and it fell naturally on his shoulders. 

“Oh good,” he smiled back, more in relief, when Lance got into Allura’s jeep. “I thought I had the wrong house. These streets are rather hard to follow.”

“Well, here I am,” Lance beamed and Lotor grinned back.

“Yes, here you are,” Lotor seemed to pull himself back into composure when he asked, “so, where to first?”

“7/11!” Lance shouted.

 

Lotor eyed the machines filled with neon slush, skeptically. “This doesn’t look very natural.”

“Yeah," Lance replied, “that’s what makes it awesome!” He pulled out a paper cup from the holder and handed it to Lotor. “Now comes the really tough question. Blue raspberry or cherry?”

“Blue raspberry?” Lotor asked, incredulously. His face scrunched up in disgust as he took the cut from Lance. The floor was sticky with the careless slushy dripping of people before them and the worker at the counter seemed like he would rather be anywhere but there. Lance guessed he’s been there all night. Not many people bought slushies at 7 in the morning, much less someone dressed in a blazer, so he didn’t blame the blank, weirded out look. “What in God’s name is a blue raspberry?”

“It's a blue raspberry,” Lance teased, “where are you getting confused?”

“I’m confused at the _blue_ part. I am fairly sure that there is no such fruit as a blue raspberry.”

“That’s what makes it awesome,” Lance repeated, pushing the lever and letting the freezing blue mush stream into his cup. Lotor watched, in shock but Lance could tell he was intrigued. 

“I guess I'll take the cherry,” Lotor grumbled, pulling the lever on the red machine labeled ‘CHERRY BOMB,’ “at least it’s a real fruit.”

Lance pushed his straw into his own cup and then got on his tip-toes to push one into Lotor’s. 

“We’re gonna take a sip at the same time, okay?” Lance asked and Lotor chuckled but had no objections. 

“3…2…1," Lance took a long sip and then lifted his head just in time to see Lotor’s face morph from shocked to pleasantly surprised. 

“Well?!” Lance asked, eagerly. The sugar or the coffee or the early hour must have been getting to his mind but there was something so _thrilling_ about seeing Lotor try things that he never had, try things that he never _would have_ had it not been for Lance. 

“It’s…incredibly unnatural,” Lotor started, cynically, “and I doubt the makers of this product have ever even _seen_ a real cherry in their lives and it certainly doesn’t _taste_ like a cherry. But…it’s quite good…in its own way, I suppose.”

Lance beamed, taking another sip out of his cup, “sometimes things seem gross and unnatural at first but I guess trying it makes you realize that it's good…in its own way.”

Lotor's eyes widened and the utter essence of shock was sent, spiraling, in Lance’s direction. Then, Lotor’s eyes darted down at his slushy cup. 

“It seems you’re right, Lance.” Lance’s heart did that thrumming thing where it felt like it was a drum, rattling against his chest and Lotor smiled, into the red slush. 

Lotor paid for the slushies and the bags of chips that Lance had _insisted_ they needed for their day out and, almost as soon as they entered, they had left. Back into the car. 

“Is Shiro still at Allura’s place?” Lance asked as they drove along the old, familiar (to Lance) roads to the lake that Lance was dying to show Lotor. 

“Yes. And they’re both hungover. And, to top it off, her place is an utter mess. I’ve seen garbage plants that were neater than her house, at the moments. She’ll need to clean it up before her father and uncle come home, or she will get hell raised upon her.”

“What a good cousin you are,” Lance joked, “leaving her in her mess to hang out with me.”

“Well,” Lotor said, eyes not peeling away from the rode, “it wasn’t a hard decision. I’d choose it again in a heartbeat.”

 _How can he say those things so casually?,_ Lance thought, he looked away so Lotor wouldn’t notice his burning cheeks. 

 

The lake was still, as it always was in the early morning hours. They were situated on a bench and Lotor’s icy blue eyes were scanning his surroundings. Lance watched him watch the scene, wondering what was going through those calculating eyes. 

“Tell me about your friends,” Lance suddenly burned out upon realizing that he had no clue as to what Lotor’s personal life was life. 

“Oh, well…what would you like to know about them?” Lotor asked as he turned his head away from the slowly moving lake to Lance. 

“Anything…everything, I guess. What are they like? You know all about Hunk and Keith and Pidge and Shiro from the way I talk about them! All I know is that they’re like…super affluent but that’s all that Allura said.”

Lotor chuckled. “Affluent? I’m not so sure if that’s the right word. They’re eccentric, privileged.”

"Do you have any pictures?” Lance asked, pushing himself closer to Lotor so that their shoulders were touching. Lotor let out a huff of air that appeared in from of his lips, the condensation almost like smoke. 

Lance looked up and Lotor looked almost stunned at how close they were. Lance blushed when he realized what he did. 

“Do you…want me to move away?”

Lotor looked down at him and wiped the shock off his face and replaced it with a signature cool, easy smile.

“No, no, it’s alright,” Lotor dug through his coat pocket to pull out his phone. Lance noted, as he scrolled through his photos, that Lotor didn’t have many pictures on his camera roll. It was mostly snapshots of textbooks or pictures of lengthy assignments. Lance frowned, thinking about his own camera roll. Pictures of him, posing in stupid ways with Pidge or doing duck face with Hunk. Peace signs with Allura and screenshots of stupid, 3 am text messages on their group chat that Lance wanted to treasure forever. It was one of those moments that reminded Lance just how different he and Lotor’s lives were. 

“Ah, here’s one,” Lotor said, pressing on a picture. Lance studied it, he noted four girls surrounding Lotor. One had a stoic, calm face that started into the camera with a Mona Lisa smile. Her hair was dyed blue and part of it flopped over her forehead. The other was the direct opposite, she omitted bright colors and her red, blue and yellow hair was tied into a ponytail that pulled at her head and looked far too tight. The third had her hair pulled into two poofs on each side and was smiling menacingly, glaring eyes flickering back at the camera. The final was quiet, a black hood over her head and her back slightly turned to the camera. A cat was perched on her shoulder. 

“Whose cat is that?” Lance asked, pointing to the old, bony cat on the mysterious one’s shoulder. 

“Oh, that’s my cat. Kova. I’m positive that Kova likes Narti more than me, though. They’ve had an unspeakably tight bond for longer than I can even recall.”

“And them?" Lance said, still looking into the picture. 

“The blue haired one is Axca, perhaps even colder than me. She’s diligent, a star student. The red-haired one is Ezor, she’s quite energetic, to say the least, and the final one is Zethrid. Incomparable strength and force, she’s on practically every sports team on our campus.”

Lance wouldn’t have been able to tell that they were the high class, had it not been for the stylish, expensive looking clothing that each wore. 

“Are you guys close?” Lance asked, still snuggled up to Lotor. He smelled good, like light cologne and faintly of cinnamon. 

“We used to be. As of recently, we don't see each other as much as we used to. We grew and went our own separate ways.”

Lance went silent, he couldn't imagine a life without his friends. He didn’t _want_ to imagine it. He suddenly found himself, wildly wishing that Lotor wasn't so isolated. _Everyone needs a friend_ , Lance thinks. 

“I’ll be your friend,” Lance suddenly declared. “E..even when you go back to London.”

Lotor’s eyes widened, once again, like Lance saw they did more and more. He looked down and Lance realized that, maybe, Lotor never had someone want to be his friend. Never had someone who cared about his state of loneliness. It made Lance’s heart drop.

Lotor cleared his throat, fist pressed to his lips. Then, he glanced back over at Lance, a mischievous grin, “well, alright,” he said. “Since you’re so desperate to befriend me, I think I might have to accept.”

Lance made a playful grunt of protest before shoving Lotor lightly. 

“You dick," he told him and Lotor smiled. 

“Thank you, Lance,” Lotor might have whispered under his breath. Lance was so sure that was what he said but, then again, he might have just been hearing things. 

 

“So…you just eat it?” Lotor asked, genuine confusion crossing his facial features and wrinkling his eyebrows. Lance wanted to either laugh at the way he looked at nachos like they were a foreign celestial object straight from space or snap a picture of it.

“Yeah, that’s usually how people eat food,” Lance joked. 

“I mean, no utensils are necessary?” 

“No, that’s the best part, though! Licking the cheese and stuff off your fingers.”

“That doesn’t seem very sanitary.”

“Sanitary and fun aren’t very compatible words.”

“Fun doesn’t necessarily mean _unsanitary_.” 

“Are you going to eat it or not?”

“If I must,” Lotor heaved a sigh but Lance can tell he’s intrigued. Or disgusted. Possibly a bubbling mix of both. Lance had his arm slung over the top of the booth, leaning over at an angle. He’s facing Lotor, who was inspecting the cheesy mess in front of them. 

“Just eat it,” Lance moaned with fake exasperation. 

Finally, Lotor dipped his fingers into the hot cheese, steaming meat and tortilla chips in front of him and brought it to his mouth. He chewed, his face pulled in serious thought. 

“It’s…strange,” Lotor commented after swallowing. “I believe I like it, though. All of this food you’ve forced me to try has its own, odd, tasteful ways.”

Lance cheered and then grabbed three chips of his own, licking his fingers at the oozing yellow cheese that had fallen onto his hands. 

“Do you really eat this on a daily basis?” Lotor inquired, taking another chip between his fingers. 

“As a college student? Hell yeah, dude. I _live_ off of this stuff. I come here with Hunk, sometimes, and all we do is study and eat, like, 5 orders of these.” 

“Sounds…riveting,” Lotor replied, “I normally study in the library. Not ideal conditions but it’s quiet.”

Lance paused to take a second to take in another snippet of information he’d learned about the enigma sitting in front of them. Then, he realized that he must seem like an enigma to Lotor as well. Maybe they were both mysteries, waiting to be unraveled like spools of thread, hoping the other would be the one to untangle them. 

 

“What song is this?” Lotor asked, he peeled his eyes away from the road for a split second to glance over at Lance. The sun was beginning to fall in the sky, an orange tint settling on the sky. 

“Um…Blue by Troye Sivan,” Lance told him, picking up his phone to view the album cover. 

“It’s lovely,” Lotor breathed. 

Lance smiled when he knew Lotor was looking away. Every moment, every millisecond, he spent in the presence of Lotor, he became even more real. Lance was shocked that he even fell for the cold, ice prince that he met on the first day. Every mask has a crack and Lance was astounded that he didn’t see past it. 

“Do I turn here?” Lotor asked. Lance nodded and Lotor turned, beginning down the hill that led back into town. Lance curled his knees close to his chest, a strange melancholy that they were returning. He didn’t want the day to end and, even less, he didn’t want Lotor to leave. He wanted to stay like this.

Lance always hated the concept “ephemeral.” He hated the idea that things didn’t last forever, were short, and that he could do nothing to keep things the same. He didn’t like that time would go on, things would end, people would leave and he couldn’t do anything about it. He hated it when he and his friends grew up and started growing apart and he hated it now. Even though he only had known Lotor for a few days, he felt a tugging at his chest. A magnetic force that pulled him towards the English man next to him. 

The trees turned into houses as the sun began to dip even further in the darkening sky. 

“What are your thoughts about?” Lotor asked, breaking the knowing silence that filled the car. Lance looked up. “You seem rather lost in them.”

“No,” Lance dismissed with a small laugh and, sheepishly, rubbed the back of his neck. “Nothing much. Just wondering where we should go next.”

“Next?” Lotor inquired, he almost seemed unsure to look at Lance or keep his eyes on the road. _He’s sweet_ , Lance thought, _in his own way_. “I had guess you wanted to go home soon.”

“Nah,” Lance smiled, leaning back in the seat, “I see my home everyday…you’re leaving tomorrow.”

Lotor didn’t reply to that but Lance saw that his lips twitched upwards slightly, a smile had seemingly tugged at his mouth. There was a sense of pride Lance felt, knowing he was among the only who could make the ice cold Lotor smile. Like he was special.

“Do you want to drive around a bit?” Lance asked, memories of mindless driving with Shiro, Allura and Keith during high school flickered in his mind. He remembered how much he used to love lazing around in the back seat, back pressed against Keith’s as Shiro drove and Allura chatted in the passengers seat. The moonlight streamed into the windows and the motor’s sound lulled Lance to sleep. 

“Drive around? Do you have a destination in mind?”

Lance shrugged, “no, not really. But that’s why it's fun, y’know? Just to drive, talk and…” he noticed Lotor’s confused face, looking back at him, “it does sound bit weird, doesn’t it?”

“No, I think I understand what you’re saying.”

The car rolled into town and Lance looked out as they passed buildings he’d seem a million times before. 

“Did you like your visit?” Lance asked, pressing his fingers to the cold glass window. 

“Yes, I did. Only thanks to you, though, it would’ve been terribly drab without a tour guide like you. I don’t know what I would do without those slushes that stained my tongue red.”

“Is that sarcasm?” Lance teased, he giggled slightly. 

“Perhaps.” 

 

It had been 10:46 when Lotor pulled into the playground Lance had grown up with. Sleepiness began to fill Lance but he was determined to stay awake as long as he could. 

“I could take you home now, if you’d like,” Lotor offered when he saw that Lance placed a fist on his lips in a failed attempt to stifle a yawn. 

“I’m good,” Lance beamed at him. He clicked off his seatbelt and jumped out. The cold wind hit him like a truck, it sent a shiver up Lance’s spine. Lotor got out and looped around to where Lance was. 

“Are you cold?” 

“How could I not be?” Lance grumbled, but still good naturedly. “It’s fucking freezing out here, jeez. It’s only November, too.”

“This is a playground?” Lotor asked as Lance led him towards the metal jungle gym. When Lance heard that, he stopped in his tracks. Slowly, he turned around to look at Lotor, his eyes were wide with fear. 

“Y-you’ve never been to a playground?” he asked. 

“Perhaps once or twice, I don’t exactly remember. My father was always very strict about when I was allowed to go outside and with whom I associated with as a child. I don’t believe I missed much, though.”

“Missed much?!” Lance shouted, "you missed everything! Playing on the jungle gym is the best part of being a kid.” Lance then realized that probably wasn’t the best thing to say when he saw Lotor frown, slightly. “Which is why we’re doing it now. Better late than never, amirite?” 

“You’re quite odd, Lance,” Lotor said. But it wasn’t an insult, Lance could tell.

When they got to the jungle gym, Lance grabbed the metal bars of the ladder. They were frozen and cold to the touch, but Lance bared it and pulled himself up. Lotor followed suit. They walked to the edge, footsteps loud against the cold platform. 

“Some call it odd,” Lance replied, with a sly grin, as he sat on the platform, “others call it genius.”

“I doubt anyone refers to you as a genius,” Lotor snorted, he followed suit and sat to Lance’s left. 

“Ah, my dear Lotor, that is where you’re mistaken. See, my intellect is always mistaken for oddity.”

“Oh, is that what that is? I would lean towards the word ‘insanity.’”

“You’re a real jerk, y’know,” Lance elbowed Lotor’s side and winked. 

“Ah yes, I’ve been told a few times,” Lotor said, his icy blue eyes drift up to the night sky. Lance did too and a slow, happy smile crossed his lips. Stars dot it like sprinkles on a cake. They glittered and shined in comparison to the dark blues of the sky behind them. Lance closed his eyes for a second, he took in the serenity of it all, and a winter breeze brushed past him and blew his hair back, lazily. 

“It’s wonderful here,” Lotor mumbled, under his breath. Lance wasn’t sure if he’s supposed to hear it. 

“Do you not see stars like this in London?” he blurted out, without a thought. 

Lotor thought for a minute, maybe about what he wanted to say. Lance had realized Lotor thought about his words before they escaped his lips, he wanted to sound refined and charming. He cared about the craftsmanship and eloquence of every sentence that he says. It’s a far cry from Lance’s ‘say-whatever-comes-to-mind’ way but, for some odd reason, Lance liked it. 

“No, not particularly. There are too many buildings, too much light, so we don’t see many stars. And if we do, they’re usually blocked out by pollution.”

“I’ve always wanted to go to London,” Lance let the words slip out of his lips, caught in a state of wonder. He imagined what it would be like to go to the Big Ben or the London Eye. It’s a life so far out of his reach, but that didn’t stop Lance from wondering and _wishing_. 

“Really?” Lotor inquired, peering over at him. Lance curled his knees into his chest and looked up at the stars. The metal of the jungle gym was cold under his butt but the moment was perfect, too perfect to let it go. 

“I’ve always wanted to travel the world,” Lance whispered, wistfully. Lotor looked over at him, shocked and smiling fondly. “To go out and have a real adventure, y’know. Far away from the small town I lived in my whole life in.”

“So why don’t you?” Lotor’s voice was soft, curious and it made Lance grin, in spite of himself. 

“I have responsibilities here. My life, it’s all here...I have a family to take care of. My parents were always so supportive, spending money on me to help me follow useless goals, money we didn’t have...even before my mom got sick. They care for me and the least I can do is stick around and make sure they know they can rely on me.”

The silence wasn’t awkward, it was understanding. Maybe a little bit of sadness, for dreams Lance wanted, but could never have. 

“It must be nice,” Lotor started, and Lance looked at him. His face was just as wistful as Lance’s, chin tilted upwards as he stared at the starry sky. There’s a seriousness to his eyes though, something regretful that Lance had never seen in him before, “having a family...”

“Y-you don’t?” Lance sputtered out, without thinking. 

“My father...he’s cold, calculating. I don’t believe he loves me in his heart, I am nothing if not a mere accessory to his greater agenda for his company. My mother had an episode, her mind failed her. Well, I suppose you could put it that way. She died not long after her episode.”

“Oh...” Lance whispered. He had no words of comfort to offer the cutoff, grieving boy next to him, who pushed everything down until all that was left of him was a rich, privileged asshole that had no good words about anyone.

“I suppose,” Lotor took Lance’s hand in his own. Lance is surprised, looking down at their now interwoven fingers that rest against the same platform Lance had run across a million times as a kid, “everyone is a little broken.”

Lance’s heart was racing a million miles an hour. He kept looking down at their fingers, tangled together now. 

“Is your mother going to be alright?” Lotor asked, neither were looking at each other but Lance felt closer to him than ever before. He scooted closer to Lotor, so much so that their legs were touching and that simple contact sent a wave of heat towards Lance’s cheeks. 

“Yeah,” Lance managed to stutter out between his burning skin and pounding chest, “She’s recovering now but she’s weaker than ever. I’m going to get a job first thing out of college so she doesn’t have to work anymore…y’know, it isn’t good for her body.”

“You’re really…something special, Lance. I never thought I’d be able to meet someone I could pour my entire past to, nonetheless someone I met only a number of days ago.”

“I’m…glad…that I could be that person, I mean,” Lance squeezed Lotor’s hand, almost a sign that _he was there_. 

Slowly, Lance dropped his head onto Lotor’s shoulder. Lotor’s eyes widened and his shoulders tensed up. Lance was sure that this type of intimate proximity was something entirely new to him but, soon enough, he began to relax and his shoulders fell back into place. 

They stayed like that for a few minutes. Or longer, time seems to blur when Lance held Lotor’s hand. It was like everything was finally falling into place for Lance. All the months of watching his best friend’s fall deeper and deeper in love and doing nothing but _wanting_. Now it meant nothing, the wanting, because he had so much more resting in his hands. 

Someone he was able to peer past cold exteriors and into the broken person Lotor real was. Someone he could laugh with and empty his heart out to. It felt perfect. 

“Lance?” Lotor asked, finally breaking the silence. 

“Hmm?” Lance mumbled back, sleepily. 

“May, uh, may I kiss you?”

Lance blinked a few times, a lazy smile crossing his lips. 

“Wow, someone’s eager.”

Lance pulled his head away from Lotor’s shoulder and turned to him. He leaned closer to the waiting, parted lips of the man next to him. Slowly, Lance slipped his hand against Lotor’s warm cheek and pulled him close, closing the gap between his lips and Lance’s. 

Lance’s eyes fluttered closed and, god, all he could think was, _Lotor kisses like it’s his job_. 

The kiss was slow, deep and filled with every emotion they had felt since day one. The teasing, the sadness, the laughter. Everything could be felt in one, swirling pit in Lance’s stomach. They had only broken apart when Lance was so breathless that he felt like he was going to faint. 

Lotor gazed at him, also panting softly. 

“That was… _holy shit_ ,” Lance muttered, pressing his forehead to Lotor’s. He laughed, breathily so that puffs of condensation could be seen from his giggles. 

Lotor only chuckled back. 

“I’m so glad you’re not the asshole I thought you were,” Lance told him, “because I don’t think I could have survived without that kiss.”

“As am I.” 

Lance wrapped his arms around Lotor’s waist. For the first time in months, even years, Lance didn’t feel so confused or broken. He felt like everything he wanted, everything he needed, was in his arms. 

He felt Lotor’s lips were pressed to the crown of his head and he closed his eyes, his lips hurting from the wide smile that plastered on them. He didn’t feel broken anymore. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just the epilogue left <3


	5. epilogue

~one year later~

 

 **my prince** → **me**

 

_Tuesday, 4:37pm_

 

 **my prince** : when is your plane set to land?

 **lance:** in about 30 minutes

 **lance:** i’m so excited!!

 **my prince:** Excited to see me or London?

 **lance** : london, duh

 **my prince** : I should feel insulted, shouldn’t I?

 **lance** : shut up u know im so pumped to c u too

 **lance** : i’ll see u in 30 babe

 **my prince** : I’ll be waiting

 

Lance let out a sigh of relief when he stepped out of the plane and into Heathrow Airport. He was buzzing with excitement, though. Only a year ago he’s never had imagined, in his wildest dreams, that he’s _actually_ be going to London. 

Then, the most pleasantly unexpected person sauntered into his life and flipped it upside down. When he wasn’t working or in class, he was texting Lotor. And, yes, the 6 hour time difference had been rough but nothing could stop Lance from feeling the love that burst out of his chest every time they skyped at 3 in the morning. 

Lance smiled, as he walked through the bustling airport, dragging his large suitcase behind him. He thought of the moment Lotor had texted him, telling him to check his email and then the shock that had rippled through his body when he saw a flight confirmation in his inbox. 

Even then, it had felt like an unreachable dream. It was only now, when Lance was in Europe and minutes away from his boyfriend’s tight hug, that it all truly sunk in and felt _real_. 

He had only looked down at his phone for a second but when he looked up again, he saw Lotor. He was dressed in the same cool, wealthy-looking style he had been in the last time Lance saw him. 

He took off running towards Lotor before he could eve realize that he was running in the first place. He skidded to a stop, right in front of his boyfriend and smirked. 

“Miss me?” he asked, tears stinging the corner of his eyes and threatening to fall out. 

“Hardly,” Lotor replied, before pulling Lance in for a hug. Lance swore to himself he wouldn’t cry on the plane but he broke that promise only one second into the embrace. 

 _No_ , Lance thought as he broke from the hug and got on his tip toes to kiss Lotor, properly, _I wouldn’t exchange this for anything._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you sm for reading, i rly hope you enjoyed it as much as i enjoyed writing it


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